September 08, 2008

Love, Sex and Lasting Relationships

This Sunday at WCC we are going to be starting a series called "e-family." We have talked and prayed over this series for a long long time because we understand that our marriages and families need attention. My wife, Angie and I just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary and while I feel very blessed to have spent the last 20 years with her I have to admit it has been difficult at times. We are the norm, not the exception. But 20 years is unusual according to the following statistics on successful years of marriage:5th anniversary: 82%10th anniversary: 65%15th anniversary: 52%25th anniversary: 33%35th anniversary: 20%50th anniversary: 5%

According to Jennifer Baker, Director of the Post Graduate Program in Marriage and Family Therapy at Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, 50% of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce. This is a clear indicator that success in marriage and security for families need to be addressed.

The focus of our series will deal with four specific topics: #1 The Blessing of Family. #2 Foundational Blocks of Marriage. #3 Preparing Kids For Greatness. #4 What Is Our Family Mission? One of the things we have chosen not to deal with specifically is the topic of "sex." I will touch on this topic when I speak on the foundational blocks of marriage, but it won't be the main issue discussed. Because we have chosen not to specifically deal with this issue in the series, I thought I would use my blog as a forum to talk about it some. To sort of set the stage for further discussion this week, let me share with you some facts from Fox News. Check these out:

In conducting a large-scale statistical analysis, John Robinson of the University of Maryland and Geoffrey Godbey of Penn State University revealed the following statistics:

Jazz fans are 30% more sexually active than others.

People of the Jewish faith and agnostics are 20% more sexually active than Christians.

On average, Protestants are less sexually active than Catholics.

Presbyterians and Lutherans report less sex than Baptists.

Extreme liberals are having more sex than extreme conservatives, but both groups are being outdone by people who consider themselves political moderates. Moderates are also outdoing those who identify as mostly conservative or slightly conservative.

Those making the least and most money have more sex than anyone in between.

Those who participate in extracurricular activities (even watching TV counts) have more sex.

What does all this mean? Who knows? All I know is that God wants His followers to have lasting relationships and a healthy, active sex life is a byproduct of a deep meaningful love rooted in commitment. Does that offend you or do you agree? Let's talk about it.

Tomorrow I will discuss some of the most common myths associated with sex. Stay tuned....